I've parked my R32 mk4 over 5 years ago and recently I started the engine and I noticed over heating and then noticed there is oil coming out of the radiator water reservoir / it's thick and brown !!
I thought about it and went full overall opened the whole thing the head and pistons and everything and I couldn't find any traces or anything broken ,, (I wanted to do that since a long time).
I have a 2013 GTI manual 6 speed with 18K very gently driven miles. Yesterday I noticed coolant on the garage floor and checked the reservoir which was below the fill line.
Went to dealer this morning .....bad water pump. I asked if this was unusual for such a new car with low miles and service writer said yes. After googling water pump failures of GTi's I learned this was not the case.
First off new jetta owner. I changed the thermostat. There is no heat coming into the car upper radiator hose hot lower hose is cold & seems there is no pressure. I bought the book to repair the car but it doesn't give me troubleshooting directions other than it might be the water pump or a blockage in the radiator.
View 9 RepliesMy 1998 Honda Civic has oil in the radiator. And even stranger, the oil winds up in the overflow coolant reservoir. What is the most likely cause of this?
View 10 RepliesSo a few days ago, I decided to check the anti-freeze for adequacy. It was just replaced with the timing belt / water pump job; but I'm a pilot, and I'm accustomed to checking things for myself. Lo and behold, the hydrometer didn't even register. I thought it was stuck, but then I noticed the oily film, and got scared. And then as I investigated further, I got puzzled.
The car had been driven maybe 500 miles since the timing belt / water pump job, had not overheated, and had not lost any coolant. The level in the radiator was up to the cap. Also, there was no oil at all in the radiator (at least that I could detect), and the concentration tested fine. But there was oil in the reservoir -- but it didn't look like crankcase oil. It was clear -- like water -- and felt a bit thinner than crankcase oil. Also, the outlet at the bottom of the reservoir was clogged.
There also was some sealant in the reservoir (it looked like the BarsLeak tablets), but none that I could detect in the radiator. That in itself doesn't bother me because a lot of people (including me) routinely toss a few tablets in the coolant -- Saturn used to do it from the factory -- but it does suggest at least the possibility of a previous coolant leak that someone treated with BarsLeak.
At the moment, there's no evidence of coolant loss, no water in the exhaust, no water in the oil, and no oil in the radiator. I haven't done a compression test. I did change the plugs, and there were no obvious coolant deposits on them. They were carbon-fouled, but considering that the PCV valve was clogged and the mileage on the plugs, that didn't surprise me.
So what I'm postulating is that the previous owner's son (who was the primary driver of the car) mistakenly poured some sort of engine oil additive, power steering additive, or something else intended for use elsewhere, into the reservoir; and the mechanic who did the timing belt and water pump didn't notice it (which also kind of bothers me).
The fact that the power steering pump had a bit of chatter would tend to reinforce that hypothesis. I've been doing a gradual replacement of the power steering fluid, which seems to have quieted things down. It was black as tar when I started, so I probably should completely replace it. I may do that this coming weekend. In any case, I removed, cleaned, and unclogged the coolant reservoir, replaced it, refilled it, and everything seems fine. It's kind of baffling, though.
When the car has been running awhile the coolant reservior and radiator make a boiling sound. It really only does it when it's been at idle for a bit. Radiator is full. Fan doesn't seem to come on after it has been running awhile but does when you turn on air. At what temp should it come on? The temp gauge never goes above the middle point so it stays in normal range, even when the tank are radiator are gurgling.
View 2 RepliesI have 2003 Civic, 125K. I am having an issue that the hose that connects radiator and coolant reservoir keeps disconnected at the top of radiator. I am sure this is due to pressure build up in radiator, and radiator cap functions. I also have seen lower level of coolant in my radiator but reservoir is full (of course the hose I mentioned above is connected!). I took my Civic to a shop and they bled radiator but didn't fix the problem. I am certain there is a blockage somewhere in between reservoir and radiator. Would flushing the cooling system fix the problem? I just want to give bit more specific information to my shop.
View 12 RepliesI have a 99 Honda civic LX 4 cyl. There is an oily residue in the coolant reservoir an on the fill tube but when the radiator is opened the coolant is clean. The car is using oil but not running rough or hot. There is no tailpipe smoke or evidence of leakage. I am planning to do a compression check and look at the plugs.
View 5 RepliesMy 2000 Accent with 164,000km is not overheating but is dumping coolant into the reservoir so that the radiator is about a quart low. I did have a few problems with it overheating in the past month, but that was solved by thermostat removal (always above 80F here). I stopped before the overheats reached the redline and allowed the engine to cool before continuing, no known adverse performance during the overheats. No water in oil.
Failed troubleshooting:
Drained and replaced coolant x3
New radiator cap
* No thermostat.
1999 Honda CRV. Just took a 3-hour highway trip. Before trip I topped up coolant reservoir which was a little low, but radiator was full. I did notice some dried white spots on the front of valve cover and spark wires. Wasn't sure what it was, but now realize it was coolant residue. Probably only 1-2 cups were missing from the reservoir, so the leak had just started.
After 3 hour trip, checked engine compartment again. This time the reservoir was totally empty (radiator still full) and the engine was well sprayed with greenish coolant residue. The radiator was cool by the time I checked it, so the leak source wasn't obvious, but it looks to be coming from the seam where the plastic top meets the aluminum.
I will replace the radiator when I get home, but first have to drive the 3-hour return trip. Will it be OK as long as I start full of coolant and keep an eye on the temp gauge?
I have a 2007 Prius, my coolant is always overflowing to my reservoir. It doesn't have any overheating problem, if I will fill up the radiator I could see bubbles coming out, How can I resolve this problem?
View 8 RepliesI checked the coolant level on the reservoir and it was low.
I decided to add coolant by removing the radiator pressure cap, however, the coolant fluid is full under this cap.
So my question is where should I add coolant? through this cap or the reservoir?
I have a 2006 Lexus GS430 w/ 100k miles. I've been trying to solve my coolant issue for the longest and I've been doing research like crazy!!! The issue that I'm having is that coolant from the radiator is blowing back into the reservoir causing the reservoir to be overfilled and splattering all over the engine bay. Also, when this happens the fluid in the radiator drops significantly ( I have to keep dumping the lost coolant from the reservoir back into the radiator). Under normal driving the fluid wont blow over to the reservoir that much (just a little) but, when I drive long distances or if I floor it that is when the coolant from the radiator really pushes over into the reservoir. When the car cools, I find out that the coolant from the reservoir does not draw back into the radiator. (I'm guessing due to the air in the cooling system?)
Checklist on what has been done to the car:
- NEW Water Pump (Installed by Lexus)
- NEW Timing Belt (Installed by Lexus)
- NEW Thermostat (Installed by Lexus) (I also tested the thermostat in boiling water and it opened and closed)
- NEW Radiator (Installed by Lexus also was pressure tested and passed)
- NEW Radiator Cap (Genuine Toyota 1.1 bar)
- Coolant Flush (flushed radiator and engine block with water hose)
-Bled System with my Lisle Spill Free Funnel and Heater on MAX HOT Full blast! Heater is working good!
(Did this 3 times for 30 min+ to get rid off all the air bubbles)
- Performed a Block Test to see if any combustion gasses were in the cooling system, to determine if it was a blown/failing head gasket (passed)
I dont know what else to do at this point other then do a compression test and a leak down test. There is no coolant in the oil and no coolant leaks. Car drives solid and strong! Is there a bleeder valve on the GS430 somewhere or does it have a bleeder valve? Is it something I'm doing wrong?
My dodge spirit has 80,000 miles on it. i love this little car, however, yesterday for some reason while driving my radiator reservoir started to overflow. I didn't notice at the time, but when i got home there was water in the engine compartment and it was obvious that it had come from the reservoir. This morning I went out to drive the car and at first the engine shook a little but then started running smoothly, when I backed out i noticed a rather large cloud of white smoke (water in the engine) I immediately turned off the car. I have a feeling I will need to rebuild this car's engine. What I should expect to pay for this repair?
View 6 RepliesOn 2010 Corolla. If I fill the reservoir it empties on ground rapidly. Will not spray before it is completely empty. Seems like a hose has come off in reservoir area. I have never had this happen with any other car.
View 1 Repliesi have a 2008 xlt ford escape and i have coolant leaking issues, my reservoir would empty so i had to refill it with water. and then i let the car run but nothing leaked so i turned the AC on and it started leaking so i investigated further and identified the source. i, am not sure what is it, it might be a lose hose or something else.
View 3 RepliesI am trying to get opinions on the best and safest Head Gasket Sealer that will be used on a 2003 ford focus. I was recently told by a mechanic that my head gasket needed to be replaced and was the cause of the water reservoir losing antifreeze and constantly needing to be added even though there were no traces of leakage.
View 9 RepliesLong story short is that my radiator malfunctioned and mixed transmission and coolant. I took it to a shop and they did a flush of both the radiator and transmission after putting in a brand new radiator. I drove it home and it has sat for a week. I popped the hood today and there is a little pit of pink transmission in the radiator no big deal but the transmission dip stick is thick and pink so I know there is water still in the transmission. I have already concluded I will need a new transmission and was curious what will I need to have replaced? Just the clutch, the entire transmission, or something else? Also would it be cheaper to have it overhauled or find a rebuilt transmission and pay to have it swapped? I understand quite a bit about cars but when it comes to transmission I have not knowledge.
View 2 RepliesI have a 1985 Toyota Celica Gt-s, and i have quite a bit of oil in the radiator. The car does not overheat, and I am wondering what exactly causes the oil to get in the radiator. I just purchased a full engine gasket set, and a timing kit. I am going to replace the headgasket, and the timing. I am not sure if the headgasket is the reason oil is in the radiator, but I am hoping so. Also there is no water in the oil, just oil in the radiator.
View 9 RepliesI have a 2007 Camry with V6, automatic. My wife drives it daily and she said that a light came on saying water temp and it started to run hot. When I looked at it I could not see fluid anywhere and the reservoir along with the radiator was very low, almost a gallon of fluid to fill it up. I took the shroud from over the top of the radiator and along the top of the radiator and where it meets the fins the pink dried fluid was along it. I could also see where it looks like it's getting onto the electric fan. At first I thought the water pump was going (147K) but now I think it might be the radiator is bad....
View 8 RepliesOk, I just bought myself some problems in the form of a '93 Celica GTS. (5S-FE)
Well, alright, that's a little dramatic. it just overheats. but here's my issue. it's got a new water pump, new radiator, and is still overheating. The guy I bought from says it's in the block, cuased by an attempt to plug a radiator leak with stop leak. He said it just had a minor leak in the radiator, so he put stop leak in it, and after that it started overheating. he's replaced the thermostat, water pump, and radiator since then.
My first question is, could he (and I) be overlooking something? could there be a clog somewhere easier to access? and then if there isn't, how should I go about cleaning out the block? are there areas I should check? anything I should do to try to unclog it? my current plan is to put cooling system flush in (he has some) and drive it home (about 55min. drive) with the flush in it, then empty it and hope for the best.